The Southwest as a Sketching Ground

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20 >*-

SOLITUDE

By BIRGER SAND ZEN

The Southwest as a Sketching Ground

By BIRGER SANDZEN

THE real artist will find beauty in al-
most any kind of surroundings. He
is able to draw inspiration from
quite insignificant and common-place things
because his soul is in tune with all crea-
tion. He sees with the curious eyes of a
child, his naive love and admiration touch
nature with a magic wand and conjure up
marvellous visions. His imagination is a
living and creative power. The genuine
artist, like the real poet, produces fascinat-
ing and convincing work, because he allows
his imagination to assist him in his quest
of truth and beauty. He does not believe
in holding the obvious before our eyes or
in the necessity of literal truth. He will
find new viewpoints and present a differ-
ent interpretation of the motif even if hun-
dreds of artists have gone over the same

ground before and utilized its artistic possi-
bilities.

If he is a landscape painter he will feel
at home on any kind of a sketching ground,
old or new, and will go ahead and paint
cheerfully wherever he happens to be, be-
cause to him nature is always beautiful.
This does not mean, however, that al!
kinds of scenery are equally attractive to
him. On the contrary, he may for several
reasons, such as education, environment or
temperament, feel a slight preference for
certain kinds of landscapes.

There is perhaps no country in the world
that offers the painter such an infinite
variety of beautiful scenery as ours: lakes,
rivers, smiling meadows and woods, vast
plains, mountains and great deserts. If
the artist wishes to study the monstrous

334 SOUTHWEST AS A SKETCHING GROUND

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SOUTHWEST AS A SKETCHING GROUND

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SOUTHWEST AS A SKETCHING GROUND

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By J. H. SHARP

SOUTHWEST AS A SKETCHING GROUND

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machinery of modern industry and com-
merce he will find it in its most developed
form in our gigantic cities. Our towns and
villages are also picturesque. The figure
painter will find all imaginable types wait-
ing to be immortalized on canvas. We lack
the glorious mixture of history and nature
that of which the Old World is justly
proud, but, of course, no country can have
everything.

Some years ago a famous European
landscape painter traveled extensively in
the southwest, especially in Colorado, New
Mexico, Arizona and California, spending
nearly half of his time in the Rocky Moun-
tains. Coming back to his Eastern head-
quarters this artist, who for years had been
a great traveler, spoke enthusiastically of
the marvellously beautiful and varied land-

scapes that he had seen on his journey and
asked his American artist friends why in
the world they did not paint this glorious
country instead of getting their subjects
and their inspiration from the old sketching
grounds in Europe or the extreme east oi
this country. Many Europeans have asked
the same question. Any person who is at
all familiar with the brief history of Amer-
ican art and with conditions in general in
this country will be able to give a satisfac-
tory answer.

We are a young nation, without national
art traditions and without the race con-
sciousness that creates them. The material
resources long demanded the attention of
the people and there was very little energy
left for the upbuilding of art. For more
than a hundred years the Allegheny Moun-

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SOUTHWEST AS A SKETCHING GROUND

339

WESTERN LANDSCAPE
By WILLIAM KEITH

tains marked the western boundary line of
American culture. What little art we had
was found in the cities of the East. Most
of our artists went to Europe to study.
There they could get the very best of teach-
ers, traditions, honors, appreciation and all
their hearts longed for. Those who came
home, most naturally, tried to establish
European standards and traditions. In
matters of art the Anglo-Saxon is by na-
ture conservative and timid, and our art
has until recently been rather academic in
character. In the field of landscape paint-
ing the old European formulas long reigned
supreme. The art historian feels that the
spirit of Barbizon still hovers over our
landscape art both in choice of subject mat-
ter and in technical treatment.

No wonder that the Wild West long
seemed unpaintable. It was so new,
strange, big and unsympathetic. Another
reason why the serious critic and artist
have been slow to overcome their prejudice
against the western artist and his work is

simply that so many terrible sins have been
committed in the name of Western art.
Who can think without a shiver of the
panoramic views of the Grand Canyon and
the Rocky Mountains, chaotic in color and
design, done by certain early surveyors and
photographers, that in our art history have
been put down as artists. We do not mind
the banalities of the colored viewcards that
we are forced to buy when we travel, but
when we run across the same things in gi-
gantic size, about eight by twelve feet,
painted on canvas and hanging in a public
collection, then we need a little ice-water,
a fan and a chair. Even many of our mod-
ern Eastern landscapists who occasionally
make a trip to the West in order to get new
subjects for their exhibition pictures often
fail to reproduce their impressions in a
convincing way, although their technical
equipment is splendid. I shall endeavor to
explain the causes of their failures later in
this sketch.

Our native American landscape art has

340

SOUTHWEST AS A SKETCHING GROUND

DESERT IN SUNSHINE AND SHADOW
By BERTHA MENZLER DRESSLER

during the last ten years developed with
amazing rapidity. New regions are being
explored seriously and patiently, as our
exhibitions clearly prove, and the quality
of the work is fast improving. There is a
spirit of joy, freedom, independence and
energy that promises a glorious future. We
feel that a national American school of
painting is coming, and we, who live in the
"Great Southwest/' are glad to know that
this part of our country is commencing to
contribute something to our young national
art.

As a sketching ground the Southwest
possesses unlimited possibilities, and can
offer the painter abundant material of ev-
ery conceivable character. He will find
idyllic, dreamy meadows, soft-lined groves,
dancing brooks, red, yellow or white farm-
houses beautifully nestled on the hillside.

all those friendly, quiet little motives that
everybody loves and admires and under-
stands, the Barbizon-Woodstock theme and
its many variations. The East and the
West have many of these charming subjects
in common, although the atmospheric ef-
fects peculiar to the high plateau of the
Southwest give them a somewhat new set-
ting. There are also some highly character-
istic features in the Western landscape, that
very few artists have studied as yet, and
that are generally considered unattractive
and unsuitable for artistic interpretation.

Our sympathies and antipathies with re-
gard to subjects in landscape art depend
largely upon habit of mind. The open and
bare landscape is generally not very pop-
ular as a sketching ground, unless it be of
unquestionable grandeur like the "Painted
Desert" of Arizona and Southern Cali-

SOUTHWEST AS A SKETCHING GROUND

341

BETWEEN SHOWERS
By WILLIAM WENDT

fornia. Let us direct our attention to some
of those common and unpretentious things
that in the opinion of most people are un-
worthy of the artist's affection, such as our
bare Kansas hills, "rolling prairie," wind-
ing creeks, alfalfa and wheat fields, pasture
grounds, etc. Let us try to analyze some
of those humble scenes and see if they de-
serve the painter's love.

In Central Kansas there are miles and
miles of low hills, none of them higher
than about four hundred fifty feet above
the level of the plains. They are as a rule
covered with grass clear up to the top,
with an abundance of gay flowers and
shrubs sprinkled over them. Ravines with
groups of trees here and there draw deep /
winding lines along the sides of the hills.
Huge boulders or fantastic fortresses and
castles of yellow or light red sandstone, fit
dwellings for the giant stone-men of the
Indian legend, stand out here and there in
bold relief. Between the hills, which often

run in parallel lines, there are fields and
pastures.

The "rolling prairie'' is also a familiar
feature in the Kansas landscape. Perhaps
a creek will cut a deep gash in the undulat-
ing prairie. Sometimes it is full of water,
sometimes it is almost dry, and its bottom
of sand or shale is laid bare for many miles,
except in the deep places, where there is
water even in the driest summer. You
may follow the creek for hours and hours
and perhaps find nothing especially inter-
esting, but then, all of a sudden, the creek
will spring a great surprise on you. There
will be perpendicular sandstone walls, high
and gay-colored, palaces, minarets and tem-
ple ruins looming up against the sparkling,
greenish blue sky. The dimensions of
these rock formations may not be very im-
posing if compared to the marvellous stone
architecture of the Rocky Mountains or
the Grand Canyon, but their lines and col-
ors are, nevertheless, interesting.

342

SOUTHWEST AS A SKETCHING GROUND

APACHE WAR PARTY
By CHARLES CRAIG

Courtesy W. H. Simpson
Copyright Detroit Publishing Company

NAVAJOS MOVING CAMP, ARIZONA
By F. P. SAUERWEN

Courtesy W. H. Simpson
Copyright Detroit Publishing Company

SOUTHWEST AS A SKETCHING GROUND

343

LAND OF HEART'S DESIRE
By WILLIAM WENDT

SUMMERDAY (CALIFORNIA COAST)
By CARL OSCAR BORG

3 44

SOUTH W EST AS A SKETCHING GROUND

CALIFORNIA LANDSCAPE
By CARL OSCAR BORG

CHARLES JOHN COLLINGS SKETCHING
IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

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347

GRAND CANYON OF YELLOWSTONE
By THOMAS MO RAN

Painting in Capitol Building, Washington

There are in Kansas and Colorado a
number of small canyons, not known to
fame, and generally not classified with
beautiful scenery, that possess artistic re-
sources not to be despised. The low foot-
hills of the mountains do not receive very
much attention from the average tourist or
artist, who crosses them on his way to the
real mountains. The common types of
humble Western landscapes, that we have
presented to the reader, do not enjoy great
popularity with artists or travelers. There
will be no "artists' colonies" springing up
at the foot of the quiet "Smoky Hills" in
Central Kansas or on the "rolling prairie"
or among the gentle foot-hills of the
Rockies, and, to be perfectly frank about it,
we few painters out here feel quite grateful
for being left alone with our humble
friends.

I am afraid we would become almost
jealous if a lot of smart rivals should de-
mand their share of the friendship that we
want all for ourselves.

How would the familiar line-up of para-
sols and easels of our famous Eastern land-
scape schools look at the bottom of a Kan-
sas creek? Well, there is no danger of an

invasion, and yet I believe the landscapes
that we have just considered are not only
paintable but make an ideal sketching
ground. I shall try to state briefly why I
think so. For learning the fundamental
principles of landscape design and color
treatment, the open and bare scenery offers
far greater advantages than the closed-in
ground. To study patiently and seriously
the structure of the nude earth, the clear
cut lines of hills, rolling prairies, creeks,
ravines and fields will develop the sense of
proportion and balance. I hope nobody
will suspect me of recommending view-
painting, since we have already had an over-
dose of advanced geography in our art, if
I say, that I consider it exceedingly impor-
tant for everybody that tries to become a
real landscape painter to study large and
simple things, long, sweeping lines, large
stretches of earth, to make an effort to
master a big design and to understand
primitive nature. The beginner should
learn to handle the large and simple design,
the simple color-scheme, the simple division
of lights and shadows, before he tackles the
complicated problems of landscape art. He
should learn to handle the hill and creek,

348

SOUTHWEST AS A SKETCHING GROUND

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TWIN GUARDIANS OF PT. FINOS By ANNE M. BREMER

Property of Mr. John G. Conrad-London

WALNUT ORCHARD— EARLY SPRING
By HENRY V. POOR

before he tries to conquer the mountain.

The average painter of the traditional
full-dress landscape, although he is easily

first in the hearts of his fel-
low-country-men, general-
ly fails to convince the seri-
ous critic, even if there be an
abundant amount of senti-
ment in his picture, simply be-
cause the design is flabby and
the color vague. The picture
looks small, although the can-
vas may be large.

We have tried to stand up
for the common humble and
despised scenes of the Great
Southwest, because they are
friendly and beautiful, and
deserve the love of the artist.
Show them a little kindness
and affection and they will re-
turn it a hundred-fold.

It is neither possible nor
necessary to describe the great
romantic wonderland of the
Southwest, its rugged, primi-
tive grandeur, its picturesque
people, its scintillating light
and mystic color. The spell of
this fairyland is quite irre-
sistible. Once under its magic
influence, the artist will hard-
ly be able to break away, even
if he cared to do so. What a
world of beauty waiting for
interpretation in story, verse,
music, color and line. Think
of Colorado, for instance:
golden plains, smiling valleys,
mighty peaks, granite cathe-
drals and castles, deep blue
lakes, pine forests, deserted
mining towns and gay sum-
mer resorts, all swimming in
color and light. Or the glories
of New Mexico, Arizona and
California, quaint pueblos
perched like birds' nests on
the high mesa, Indians in gay blankets.
Oriental old towns with flower markets and
ringing fiestas, the endless desert painted

SOUTHWEST AS A SKETCHING GROUND

349

AMONG THE MILLS
By BIRGER SANDZEN

in yellow, blue and red, the solemn, mystic
Grand Canyon, ruins of Franciscan mon-
asteries, surrounded by a halo of legend
and romance, dream-like gardens, palms,
white shores and green and blue water.
What a paradise for an artist. But here as
everywhere else in the world, the great
treasures are jealously guarded. It is only
sincerity and love that can win them. The
fairy of the wilderness, who watches over
the treasures, is not satisfied with a little
flirtation. She wants real love, strong and
enduring.

Eastern or European artists often come
out to the Southwest in order to get some
"stunning" things for the coming exhibi-
tions. They stay long enough to fill a suit-
case with sketches and then go home to
make pictures. After the sketch has gone
through the powerful machine of standard
tradition, recipes and masters, there comes
out a clever compromise, a highly civilized
picture and a pretty good seller. As an in-

terpretation of the southwestern landscape
it is hardly convincing.

It is, as a rule, only the artist who thor-
oughly knows the West, who is able to
paint it. All the old laws for colors and
values will not help him to solve the per-
plexing problems that confront him. He
must have love and patience enough to be-
gin again from the very beginning and
build up the new technique that will enable
him to reach his goal.

Foremost among the men who have
achieved distinction as painters of the great
west is Thomas Moran, dean of American
landscape artists, through whose genius the
beauties of the Yellowstone and the Grand
Canyon have been immortalized in art. Two
characteristic examples of his marvelous
canvases may be studied in the illustrations
"Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone," and
"Petrified Forest."

Our illustrations, indeed, cover the entire
range of western art, the varying aspects of

350

SOUTHWEST AS A SKETCHING GROUND

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EUCALYPTUS TREES
By RUSSELL CHENEY

its mountains, deserts, foot-hills and plains,
and introduce us to the picturesque wild
folk who were their aboriginal inhabitants.
Daingerfield's "Genius of the Canyon/'
strikes a note of the imaginative and
awakens reminiscences of the classical.

It is not so long ago 'that pictures of the
Grand Canal, Holland Peasants or French
or English fishing villages, commanded the
American market. Today, however, all this
is changed, for our leisure class have found
the West a storehouse of picturesque treas-
ure and California a lotus land for winter
homes. With an appreciation of western
scenery has come an appreciation of west-
ern paintings, so that artist colonies have
sprung up at Phoenix, Arizona, Taos, New
Mexico, at Los Angeles, San Diego and pic-
turesque Carmel-by-the-Sea in California.

At Taos W. Herbert Dunton, E. Irving

Couse, E. L. Blumenschein, J. H. Sharp,
Bert Phillips and Sheldon Parsons own
homes in the quaint old Mexican village
where they spend a part of each year, while
at Prescott, Arizona, reside Miss Kate T.
Cory, at Denver Vincent D. Colby and at
Colorado Springs Charles Craig, all artists
who have won fame in painting the West.
William Wendt, Mr. and Mrs. William
Wachtel, W. E. Rollins and F. V. Dumon4
number among the prominent people of the
Los Angeles artists' colony, while Carmel-
by-the-Sea has become famous as a mecca
for "Knights of the Brush." The Chase
School of Art is located in this colony,
where many famous painters spend their
winters. Moran comes thither in the spring
from his labors amid the mountain land-
scapes.

Among the prominent artists of Chicago

SOUTHWEST AS A SKETCHING GROUND

35i

who have visited and painted the canyon
country with brilliant success might be
mentioned Jerome S. Blum, John F. and
Anna L. Stacey and Walter Ufer, who are
now engaged upon important works in that
locality; Mrs. Jessie Benton Evans, who
winters at Scottsdale, near Phoenix ; Albert
Fleury, E. A. Burbank, the noted Indian
painter; Bertha Mensler Dressier, now of
Boston, and W. P. Henderson, who in 1905
followed the canyon into old Mexico on a
sketching tour.

From New York have come E. L. Blum-
enschein, F. Ballard Williams, Elliott Dain-
gerfield, A. R. Leigh, Thomas Moran, De-
witt Parshall, E. H. Potthast, William
Ritchel Gardner Symons and Louis Betts,

who are now in the West, the latter as the
guest of Symons at his home on the coast.
E. M. Dawes of Minneapolis has also ex-
ecuted some notable paintings of western
scenes.

Interest in the more romantic and spec-
tacular features of western landscape has
been constantly increasing among artists
and collectors alike, during the last few
years. Of late attention has been called to
the simpler themes of the southwest by a
few sympathetic souls who sing its charms
delightfully. Every land and- every locality,
in fact, should have its champions of the
brush and pen, for each alike possesses its
peculiar fascinations, especially to those
who call it home.

PINES AT PACIFIC GROVE
By HENRY V. POOR

352

SOUTHWEST AS A SKETCHING GROUND

PEN A BLANC A TIENDA. NEW MXEICU
By HAROLD BETTS (1906)

Courtesy Santa Fe Railway